Olympus Academy
OIympus Fine Arts Academy, most often referred to be its shortened name of Olympus Academy, is an alternative charter school located in Northampton, Washington. Studens may enroll in grades K-12 and all attend the school in the same building. The mascot is the Titans and the school colors are red and goldenrod. The auditorium, Arnold Auditorium, is named after the school's first Administrator, Aaron Arnold. All students are required to complete 30 hours of community service in their senior year in order to graduate. History Olympus was founded in 1991 by Aaron Arnold, a former college professor. Through his years as a teacher, he was sad to see the state of many school's fine arts programs and, even more so, children's apparent lack of interest in the arts. Inspired by the charter school boom in other parts of the country, Arnold parterned with Northwest Washington Community College to found a charter school with am emphasis on the fine arts. They named the school "Olympus Academy", after the famed mountain-dwelling of the Greek Pantheon of gods. Arnold named it this because he felt that the Greek Philosophers perfectly blended art and knowledge. The school's first school year was the 1992-1993 school year. It was initially only a K-8 school. For the first three years of the school's life, it did not have a proper building to house its students or faculty, the product of poor city planning and hindering red tape. They ran out of the Sunday School wing of a local church during this time and used the church's gym for its drama and dance classes. In 1995, the school officially moved to its current location, which was custom built for the school thanks to generous donations from several wealthy benefactors. At this time, they announced that they would be enrolling high school students, as well. They did not have a senior class for their first year offering high school classes; the first senior graduates was a class of four students who graduated in 1997. Arnold resigned in 2005 after thirteen years of being the school's administrator and the auditorium was named for him. His former Vice Principal, Ainsley Beckett, was appointed the new Principal and remains so to this day. The school was listed in the 50 Best Alternative American Schools in 2006, attaining the #11 spot. The article remains pinned up in various areas throughout the school. The school received its first foreign exchange student in the 2013-2014 school year, when English student Margot Audley transferred in. Curriculum Olympus Academy is often mistaken for a private school. However, as a charter school, students do not have to pay a tuition to attend classes. The school offers a curriculum similar to other public school found in Washington. Namely, it follows state graduation requirements of 4 Math credits, 4 English credits, 4 Social studies credits and 3 Science credits. Unlike other schools, it places an emphasis on arts classes. To graduate, students must have at least 2 Dance credits, 2 Art credits, 1 Band credit, 1 Choir credit and 1 Drama credit. These requirements can be altered or waived, varying individually, depending on the needs of the student. These are rare, however, and special cases must be taken to enact such decisions. Students entering into their senior year are required to hold monthly meetings with the school guidance councilor to speculate about their futures and college options. Seniors must also complete 30 hours of community service and attend the "Senior Seminar", a weekly advisory class that takes place over lunch hour. A special provision in the school's charter indicates that students may take Dance as a PE credit, so no Physical Education credit is specifically mentioned in the graduation requirements. Standard Physical Education classes are offered, however, but Dance credits must still be attained. Each school day consists of eight periods, lasting from 8:15am (homeroom) until 3:15pm. Middle school students receive an hour-long lunch break during 5th period and high school students receive theirs during 6th period. The school year begins the day after labor day and ends the first friday of June. The year is divided into two semesters, with students taking the same schedule of classes for the entire year. Known Classes The following is a list of known classes at Olympus' High School course: ENGLISH COURSES *English 9-12 MATH COURSES *Algebra 1 & 2 *Geometry *Trigonometry *Business Math *Consumer Math *Statistics SCIENCE COURSES *Biology *Earth Science *Anatomy *Chemistry *Physics *Technology* SOCIAL STUDIES COURSES *Civics *U.S. History *Economics *Geography *World History *Introduction to Psychology ARTS COURSES *Art *Life Drawing *Watercolors BAND COURSES *Band *Percussion *Jazz Band *Choir DANCE COURSES *Dance *Ballet DRAMA COURSES *Drama *Drama Theory ELECTIVES COURSES *Journalism / Yearbook *Creative Writing *Fashion Design *Home Economics *Physical Education *Health Faculty Faculty members seen or mentioned in the campaign include: Current Faculty Members *'Ainsley Beckett:' Principal (2004--present) *'James Heller:' Vice Principal; Interim Instructor (2004--Present) *'David Trundell:' Science & Technology; Journalism teacher (2013--present) *'Peg Tiller:' Math teacher (1992--present) *'Glenn Hill:' Band teacher (1998--present) *'Jenna Polansky:' Social Studies teacher; Creative Writing teacher; Drama Instructor (2007--present) *'Rose McCollough: '''English teacher (2010--present) *'Nancy Stoppel:' Art teacher (1994--present) *'Yancy Mitchell:' Physical Education & Health teacher (2014--present) *'Bethany Christensen:' Dance Instructor (1999--present) *'Carrie Vickers:' Fashion Design, Home Economics teacher (2001--present) *'Kate Wittenmyer:' Assistant Instructor (1994--present) Former Faculty Members *'Gloria Tessmacher:' Science teacher until her arrest (''Team, ''S01E02) *'Corey Goodman:' Physical Fitness Instructor (''Shocking, S01E06) *'Jonathan Knowles:' IT Guy until he quit (Heroes, S01E13) *'Alan Rice:' Physical Education teacher until he quit (S03E05) Layout The school is a two-story building. The majority of high school classes are on the ground floor and the elementary and middle school classes are primarily on the upper floor. This director will cover primarily high school class areas, for the sake of brevity. The Halls The hallways include red lockers. In high school, each "hall" has lockers that tend to group certain grades together. The numbering system for lockers is 300 lockers are for Freshman; 400 lockers are for Sophomores; 500 lockers are for Juniors and 600 lockers are for Seniors. It is unknown why the lockers are numbered this way, and exceptions do occur. For example, during his junior year, Rick Bythesea had a locker in the Sophomore hall. These are full length lockers and students are not required to share lockers. Each locker has a built-in combonation lock. Math Room The math room is a small, cluttered room containing a ton of signs and posters on the wall that are math related. The teacher, Mrs. Tiller, is a big Calvin & Hobbes fan and includes a different comic on the whiteboard every week. This room is where the school's math classes are held. It has also been the home room for the Junior class of 2013-2014 and the senior class of 2014-2015. Historically, that group of kids has had Mrs. Tiller as their homeroom teacher. Social Studies Room This room is reported by students as the most cramped of the classrooms. It contains several long tables that seat between 4 and 6 students each. It contains posters with famous quotes, a picture of the Constitution, a Current Events board and Homework Cubby are located in this room. This room is where the school's social studies classes and creative writing classes are held. It is also, according to Rick Bythesea and Ezra Peets, the hardest classroom to locate, citing that "you'd think it was a broom closet if there weren't kids sitting in it". Science Room This room is extremely clean and always smells peculiar. There are a number of tables where two students may sit at a time. There are also a number of sinks and long tables in the back where chemistry work and anatonmy work is performed. The walls are decorated with strange objects in jars, a few fossils, a topographical map of Washington state and the periodic table (which is covered up during tests or quizzes). There is a large, glass tank containing a snake named "Fluffy" in the back of the room. This room is where the school's science classes, Health and home economics classes are held. It was also the site of the Extra's first battle against a super-powered foe, Gloria Tessmacher in Team (S01E02). The room was filled with steam and Morty Cassidy had been laid on a table, shirtless, ready to be desected by Mrs. Tessmacher. During the battle, the door, one of the back tables, several of the desks, a chair and a few displays were demolished. Classes were held in the library until after winter break, when the room was finished being renovated. English Room This room is a small room that is seemingly always in dissarray. Desks are for individual students and are usually haphazardly set around the room, the formation growing more chaotic as the day unfolds. This is made even more strange by the fact that the room has two white boards, one on either side of the room and the teacher often switches between the two. This room has many literay posters and quotes on the wall. In addition, there is a Quote Board, where students can guess a quote's origin for a piece of candy. There is also a long bookshelf along the far wall that contains several copies of every book that is read for the high school curriculum. This room is where the school's English, Fashion Design, Drama Theory and Journalism classes are held. Arnold Auditorium This auditorium is always a constant hub of activity. It can easily seat several hundred people at a time. The colors are primary blue and white (as opposed to the school colors, which were distracting). The stage is considered small and drama productions are often cramped for the acors and stagehands alike. This area is where Dance classes and Drama classes are held. It has an elaborate back stage area. There are two dressing rooms to the sides, but each can only fit two students, so they are reserved for leads. Everyone else is cordoned off to bathrooms, which are closed to the public for play nights. Cafeteria The cafeteria the hub of information and the shcool's social scene. It includes many tables that can sit six students and a section for hot lunch that is never open. There is a door leading outside (specifically the back lot) in this room, and many students eat lunch on the grassy area right outside the doors. The cafeteria is the location where the Extras most often gather and discuss cases and other important matters during school days, as conflicting schedules often ensure that the whole group is unable to talk before lunch hour. Library Located on the second floor, the library is a small space with a few hundred books, a work area with some tables and a row of twelve computers along the wall. This space is considered the "Computer Lab". The library is where Technology class workshops are held and where the Senior Seminar takes place. The library is also most often the site of interim classes, or classes without an official class room. Art Room Located on the second floor, the art room is a large, open area with large windows that allow in a great amount of natural sunlight. In fact, the room's lights are only turned on during rainy days. The room contains many long tables that sit between two and four students. The room is stained with various paint spills, clay and chalk shavings. Art murals decorate the walls and posters of famous pieces are adorned on the walls. Large metal shelves containing the supplies line both walls. Art classes, Watcolor classes and Life Drawing are held here. Band Room This room is filled with various instruments, music books and a large poster of the Scales. Students sit on chairs clustered in the middle of the room, with percussion in the back on a small, raised platform. The room also contains a piano. The room is buffered for sound, so while it cannot usually be heard in other classrooms, the music can be clearly heard in the cafeteria or the hallways. This is where the Band, Percussion, Jazz Band and Choir are held. Drama students practicing for their songs also practice here while the stage is used for other purposes. Gym This gym is very small compared to other schools. No official sporting events happen here. There is a makeshift basketball area, some freeweights and a couple foos-ball tables. The coach's office is located off the main gym area. This room is where Physical Education classes are held. Students may congregate here during lunch for games or lounging about and students often hang out here after or before school. The office was the site of Margot and Rick's final battle with the Electric Man (Shocking, S01E06). Students The following is a list of students seen or mentioned throughout the campaign. Current Students *Margot Audley (Grade 12) *Rick Bythesea (Grade 12) *Morty Cassidy (Grade 12) *Brittany Celeste (Grade 12) *Brad Davern (Grade 12) *John DuPont (Grade 12) *Joe Fordman (Grade 12) *Avert Jarret (Grade 12) *Miriam Leung (Grade 12) *Luke McKinney (Grade 12) *Ben Puckett (Grade 12) *Freddie Stroma (Grade 12) *Silas Tanner (Grade 12) *Shawn Tiler (Grade 12) *Bianca Tinsley (Grade 12) *Zach Wagner (Grade 12) Former Students *Zechariah Anton Deaceased *Caleb Blackburn out *Matt Keenan Transferred *Sidney Leung Transferred *Jessie Manheim out *Jasper Marten Deceased *Bill McPhee Arrested *Kyle Merchant Transferred *Troy Nichols Transferred *Roxie Pace Arrested *Ezra Peets out *Chuck Spalding Arrested *Elaine Tracker Arrested Alumni *Luke Bythesea (Class of 2007) *Clay Palcowski (Class of 2009) Extra Curricular Olympus Academy offers several extracurricular activities, mentioned below: *'A/V Club:' This club is for technologically minded students. Only students in the Technology class are able to join this club. *'Bible Club:' This is a Christian Religious Club. *'Chess Club:' The chess club is a struggling institution that is seemingly in the last throes before it is disbanded. *'Dances:' The school hosts a number of dances every year: the Homecoming Dance, the Snow Ball and the Prom. With the exception of the Homecoming dance, dances are held in the Gym, while the Homecoming dance is held in the gym of Northampton Public High School (as it is a celebration of the local high school team). *'Northampton Bobcats:' The school does not have a football field or a team of its own. However, through partnership with the county and the local public high school (Northampton Public High School), Olympus students are permitted to try out and play for the team. In fact, Matt Keenan, Shawn Tiler, Chuck Spalding and Brad Davern have been football stars for several years, with Keenan serving as Quarterback and team captain. *'The Olympus Herald:' This is the highschool newspaper. *'The Olympian Titans:' This is the girls' volleyball team. *'Quiz Bowl:' Olympus Academy participates in the annual Quiz Bowl tournament and notably places in the Top 4 every year. Notes *Much of Olympus Academy's layout, faculty and curriculum are based off of Concord Academy Boyne, the high school were DM and campaign author Aaron Ruge attended High School. *The first game had the building and layout structured very differently than the current, cannonical version. The original layout had a large statue of Atlas in the "lobby", as well as a more modern, industrial feel. The school was also implied to be near downtown. This was changed only two episodes in. Trivia *Olympus Acadamy has a 255 students enrolled in grades K-12. *This year's Senior class is the largest in the school's history. Category:Locations Category:High Schools Category:Extras Category:Extras Season 1 Category:Extras Season 2 Category:Extras Season 3